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I believe in the “dash” of life. When someone is born, they have a birth date. That date becomes special to that person. Every year on that date, we celebrate their birth. When we meet new people throughout our lives and make friends, we are sometimes asked to celebrate their birthday with them. After our life has ended, we have a date of death. We all know somebody close to us who has passed away. We know of their birth date as well as their day of death. We don’t always remember those dates. What we remember the most is the days in between, or the “dash”.

Most recently in my life, I remember my great grandma’s funeral. Her death certificate read: 12/7/1912—-10/12/2008. I do remember all about her funeral: the flowers, the music, the pastor, the balloons, the relatives, and the food. That is pretty much all there was to the funeral. I am obviously too young to remember when she was born, as are a lot of us. What I do remember is what happened in between those times, or the “dash” in her life.

When we remember somebody’s “dash”, we think of all the great memories and times we have had with that wonderful person. Our stories are endless. I actually couldn’t remember the exact date of my great grandma’s birth or death. I had to look it up. I can tell you specific dates or happenings in her “dash”. For instance, I remember stories about the 4th of July, and when she helped me celebrate my birthday. I always thought of my grandma as a breath of fresh air, and she was always as beautiful as the morning sun. Those are the fun times and the times that will be forever on our minds.

Most people live their “dash” to the fullest. When somebody’s “dash” gets cut short, it does not mean that their life was not happy or their life was not lived to the fullest. It just means their “dash” is shorter. Even when the “dash” is short, we still remember that time instead of the beginning and the end. Our “dash of life” is like the hours in the day. It is what happens after sunrise and before sunset.

Every morning when you wake you must ask yourself, “Do you wish to have a full “dash”? What do I want my “dash” to be remembered as?” You need to live your life to the fullest. Remember, there are a lot of people going to look at your “dash”. Make your “dash” a memorable one so that your loved ones and friends will never forget you and your “dash”. You should make your “dash” as memorable as the day the child first sees Santa Clause.

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This week’s essay

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.